Prayer on the Ninth Sunday after Trinity

Gospel for the 9th Sunday after Trinity: St. Luke 16:1-9

16 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measuresof wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

107. Prayer on the Ninth Sunday after Trinity

O Lord God, heavenly Father, You Who have given us rich blessings and daily bread in abundance! We pray You, protect us from stinginess and greed. Awaken our hearts, that we gladly give to poor people and have fellowship with them, they receiving what is ours and we receiving what is theirs. In this way may we be found faithful stewards of Your goods, and not starve in eternity when our stewardship is demanded of us, and we come before Your judgment. Amen. Johannes Eichorn (1511-1564)